


Pizza Dinner

by justinsbuzz



Series: The end... [9]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Family Dinners, Fluff, Gen, Greg is a good dad, Mental Health Issues, Single Parents, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:35:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26141230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justinsbuzz/pseuds/justinsbuzz
Summary: Steven and Greg catch up over dinner before heading home from the doctors office.
Series: The end... [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1509437
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Pizza Dinner

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, just, got to vent: What is up with some of those tags, my glob! ughhghdhg, *incoherently screams about just trying to find the right tags for an hour*.
> 
> Okay, not that that's done, just want to say that this is a townie episode kind of story (I think that's what they're called). Enjoy the peace while it lasts!

The bell over the door of Fish Stew Pizza jingled as Steven and Greg walked through the door. The restaurant had changed drastically over the years. As Steven looked around, what was once a small room with 6 tables inside had been remodeled to fit more than double that amount. The walls were painted like Italian fresco’s, but instead of images of vineyards, they were pictures of tropical beaches, fishing docks, and rolling forests. No doubt they were done by Blue Pearl, Vidalia, and Lapis in a collaborative project. Plants still hung from the ceiling edge and went around the room. but before they could admire it anymore, someone caught their attention.

“Steven! Greg! Oh my gosh it’s been a while!” Kiki exclaimed as she walked out of the kitchen, carrying a large pizza. “Give me a sec, I’ll be back to get you a seat.”

“No worries! Take your… time…” Greg replied before seeing where the pizza was going. Kiki had just placed a large cheese and ham pizza at a large, gem accommodating booth. There sat a couple of Famethysts and a few Rose Quartz’s. Steven’s Gem began to sear and ache, almost causing Steven to hunch over. “Shoot, Steven? You okay? Should we head back home?”

“No, Dad. It’s okay. I’m…” Steven spoke, straining himself to stand upright before Kiki noticed. “I’ll tough it out.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, Steven.” Greg said, sounding worried.

“It’s fine, dad. I’m okay.” Steven reassured him before lowering his voice. “But, maybe could we get a table somewhere in the back, and far from… that one?”

“Yeah. Of course.” Greg said, smiling softly. Kiki gestured to them to follow her. As they walked past the table with the Rose Quartz’s, all Steven and Greg could do was give a small awkward wave and a smile. After passing them, Greg whispered to Kiki: “Any chance we can get a table in the back?”

“Of course.” Kiki replied. “So how’s things with you two?”

“Eh…” Greg hummed.

“Things have been rough.” Steven replied without missing a beat. “Just trying to adjust to life now. Back to being kind of useless.”

“I kind of know what that’s like. Had to take a year off from college because Jenny decided to go solo with a music career, so I kind of have to pick up the slack.” Kiki said, sounding tired. “But with Gunga back in the restaurant and managing things, it’s nearly like the way it used to be.”

“You mean with Jenny barely being around?” Steven said slightly bluntly. The words escaped his mouth before he could think of a friendlier way to say that. Kiki laughed at Steven’s deadpan analysis of her life right now.

“Yeah. Pretty much. And if you’re retired from being a superhero, we can always use a little help around here on some of the busier nights.” Kiki mentioned.

“What would I be doing?” Steven asked cautiously as they arrived at a booth farthest from the door, and out of the line of sight of the Rose Quartz’s. But for added insurance, he picked the side of the booth that was facing away from the door. “Nothing too stressful?”

“Eh, not really. The busier nights would have 2/3rds of the place full, and half of them are gems, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to take orders. They’re pretty basic.” Kiki said, placing the menus down in front of them. “And as an added bonus, you could wear that cute tuxedo you use to wear.”

“I dunno. It’s been a while since I wore that. I’ve grown a lot.” Steven said, thinking back on the time he helped the two restaurants reconcile their difference. He screwed up a lot, but it all turned out alright in the end. And he never had to use any of his powers. It was a good memory. “I’ll give it some thought though. I could use something to distract myself.”

“Cool!” Kiki replied with a smile, while giving Steven a side hug. “Missed seeing you around here. You always had a way to make things… okay. Bearable. You just make things better by just being around.”

“Um… thank you.” Steven said awkwardly as he returned the hug as gently as he could. He still felt afraid that his powers could skyrocket at any moment. “It’s nice to know that even without using my freakish powers that I can make a difference.”

“I wouldn’t say they were freakish. You’re unique. And people love you for that.” Kiki said with a smile. “I’ll give you gentlemen some time to think about drinks and appetizers.”

As Kiki walked back to the kitchen, she was stopping by every other occupied table to see how everyone else was enjoying the meals. Looking back at his dad, he caught for a moment, his father having a rare, somber look on his face.

“Are you okay, Dad?” Steven asked with concern. Greg’s demeanor changed back to his cheerful self.

“Oh, I’m great. Tour was… okay. Wanted to come back early after a few gigs were canceled for miscellaneous reasons.” Greg said, trying to brush off any warranted concern before turning his attention towards Steven. “What about you?”

“I’m… doing okay.” Steven lied. “Nothing going on at home. Connie’s been studying nonstop and looking into colleges. We… it’s just been quiet.”

An awkward silence fell over the table between the two for what seemed to have lasted for hours. Before anyone could say anything, Kiki returned to the table.

“So… what can I get started for you two?” Kiki asked politely. Steven and Greg had forgotten to look at the menu.

“Oh, um… water?” Greg asked.

“Two waters?” Steven added.

“Two waters. Lemon?” Kiki asked.

“Yes please.” Greg and Steven replied.

“Okay. And any appetizers?” Kiki asked, writing down their drink orders.

Steven quickly looked at the appetizers and picked the first thing he saw.

“Spicy mozzarella sticks?” Steven asked, looking at Greg.

“That sounds new. Yeah. those, and maybe some breadsticks?” Greg added.

“Spicy mozz and bread sticks. Okay. I’ll be back.” Kiki said as she walked away.

“Wow. They did add a lot to the menu since I was last here.” Greg said, looking the menu over. “I mean, they’re serving fish that ISN’T on a pizza. Ghanaian fried fish stew! They legitimately have actual fish stew.”

Greg looked up from the menu to see Steven looking back at him with uncertainty in his eyes.

“Dad?” Steven asked.

“Okay. We’re both bad liars.” Greg sighed. “Don’t be mad at her, but Priyanka kind of told me that you were going through some rough patches.”

“I’m… It’s okay. You are my dad after all. Makes sense for her to talk to you about me.” Steven said, trying to bury confused feelings down. “What… what did she say exactly?”

“Well, just that you’ve been depressed and frustrated with life in general. And that your gem is acting up. And that… you might be going on some really important medication.” Greg replied, looking very worried at Steven.

“Did she say anything else?” Steven asked nervously.

“Nothing beyond that. But I kind of sensed there might be more. She might have wanted you to fill in the blanks” Greg said, sounding even more concerned. “What’s up, son?”

Steven could do nothing but shed a few tears before breathing calmly.

“I… I asked Connie to… Marry me.” Steven reluctantly confessed. He was afraid of his dad being angry, or just shocked. Instead, Greg could do nothing but stair blankly at Steven. “Aren’t… aren’t you going to say something, dad?”

“I… wow…” Greg mustered an intelligent answer, but fell short of just two words. Knowing this, he tried again. “Um… Steven? You do know tha-”

“That Connie and I aren’t old enough to get married? Yeah.” Steven said, finishing with a groan. “I was being really stupid. I thought that with Connie moving far away to go to Jay Hawk University, maybe if we got married… she would stay. She wouldn’t leave me behind…”

Greg could only look at Steven with empathetic eyes.

“What did she say when you asked?” Greg asked.

“She said the obvious answer. ‘No’, or, no. She said ‘not yet’.” Steven replied, starting to feel his gem give off a dull ache. “She might as well have said no.”

Greg chuckled and shook his head, making Steven feel both invalid, and dejected.

“Schtew-ball, you do know there’s a vast difference between the two, right?” Greg asked. Steven shrugged as he looked at the menu. “It means ‘later’ more or less. She definitely would marry you in a heartbeat, but she has things to take care of BEFORE she would marry you. Weddings aren’t cheap. And it’s best if you have a career as well. just being financially stable. If anything, Steven, she’s thinking about the future. A future where you’re definitely in it.”

“I… I guess.” Steven replied. “It’s just that everyone is moving away. Moving apart, going off and doing their own thing. And here I am, just a useless kid that no one needs. I… I don’t want any of this. I don’t want to be forgotten. More than anything… I’m tired of wanting to be needed.”

“I know, Steven.” Greg said, nodding. “You’ve been through so much, you’re kind of going through an early midlife crisis. And after all you’ve been through, it’s kind of valid.”

“Probably.” Steven groaned as he slumped in his seat. “Everyone just seems to know what they want to do. I feel like I’m being left behind. Again.”

“Well, maybe your path might be different.” Greg spoke. “Trying to figure yourself out, trying to understand who you are and what you want to do, It’s a part of growing up. And what you would want to do won’t instantly pop up out of nowhere.”

“I’m more worried about growing apart from people. From my friends. From Connie. They were always there for me. But now, I feel like I’m being forgotten.” Steven replied, feeling the stress build up. “I just don’t want to be alone. I don’t want to just be me. I… I hate me. My powers are going out of control. My gem is acting like it’s trying to kill me from the inside. And no matter how much Garnet says that I just need to control it, it’s not that easy. And she just… she’s becoming so frustrating to deal with. I mean, she was the one who suggested that I marry Connie.”

“Um… Steven?” Greg tried to get Steven’s attention, but to no avail as Steven continued to vent.

“And then there’s Pearl, who probably would have been more helpful than Garnet, has been gone for a while. Last time I saw her, she was coming home late at night with a pair of roller-skates. She didn’t even say hi. Like I was invisible or something.” Steven continued, beginning to feel hot. “And I know amethyst means well, but sometimes, it’s like she can’t really help me. I know she tries, but I feel like all I’m doing is making her depressed. Like I’m letting her down because I can’t control this! And then there’s Connie, who I’m still at a loss as to why she would want to hang out with a screw up like me when we probably only have a couple of years left until she just… goes away. Out of everyone, I feel bad for saying this, I can’t see life without her. My jam-bud. Everything feels like they’re falling apart!”

“Steven, your skin.” Greg blurted out, causing Steven to look down.

“Oh… oh no. not now. Be right back!” Steven said, quickly leaving the booth and making a bee-line towards the bathroom. After quickly checking the stalls to see if there was anyone in there, Steven turned on the bathroom faucet and begun to splash cold water on his face. Normally, it would have worked instantly, but now, it seems to take longer for the pink glow to stop. ‘why did it have to happen now?’

Drying his face, Steven went out, and sat back in the booth. Greg looked more worried than before.

“Steven… I… I probably should have worded that better. Just because you’re growing up doesn’t mean you’re going to grow apart.” Greg tried to reassure Steven. “Connie wouldn’t leave you behind. I know her. She even told me that she had a crush on you for a while before the whole diamond issue. And I know that you’re a major part of her life. If she ended up going to a college far from here, odds are, she would take you with her.”

“Did… did she really say that?” Steven asked, wiping away an errant tear.

“Well… not in those words. She thinks you’re an amazing person, and she can’t see things without you either.” Greg replied.

“But… even after I proposed to her… she could have changed her mind.” Steven said, slowly feeling himself spiraling down again.

“Steven, I highly doubt that. She probably knows that you’re going through a really hard time right now. And people can sometimes do the wrong things for the right reasons. She knows that you meant well.” Greg rebutted. “Maybe you should talk to her about how you feel? Be open like how you were opened to me, or to Priyanka. Give her the benefit of the doubt.”

Steven thought carefully about what he said. He was right. Being straightforward about his feelings is the best way to go.

“You’re… you’re probably right. I should just be honest.” Steven said, feeling slightly better. He always felt slightly better after talking to his dad.

The appetizers came moments later.

“Spicy mozz and breadsticks.” Kiki spoke as she placed the plate of red tinted mozzarella sticks, and a shallow bowl of garlic breadsticks in the middle of the table before grabbing her notepad. “Have you guys decided on the main course yet?”

“Oh… not yet.” Greg said while looking over at Steven, who completely forgot about it. “Can we get a few moments?”

“Of course. I’ll be right back.” Kiki said before walking away. At that moment, Steven and Greg quickly scanned the 4-page menu.

“Um, interested in a pizza?” Greg asked.

“Honestly, no. I probably should get something that’s a little healthier.” Steven said.

“Yeah. same. The checkup with Priyanka has me feeling a little guilty.” Greg spoke before realizing what he had just said. Steven looked at his dad with confusion before looking back at the menu.

“Maybe a small broccoli pesto and linguine with the fish. That’s kind of healthy, right?” Steven asked Greg. “And would It be cliché if I started a vegetarian diet? I think I might be a typical thing teen do. I don’t want to fall for that trope.”

“I don’t think it’s a cliché.” Greg replied. “Not telling anyone that you’re a vegetarian until someone makes dinner is a cliché. And also, that sounds good. Two of them?”

“Yeah. two of them. And I’ll get started on the vegetarian diet tomorrow. Not sure if fish count.” Steven said, putting down the menu.

“Yeah they do. but if you really need protein, you can try to give being a pescatarian a shot.” Greg replied.

“I… guess I start my new diet tonight.” Steven said.

“We will.” Greg said.

Kiki returned with the drinks and had taken their order. As they sat there, picking away at the appetizers, silence had overcome them. Feeling as though it needed to be broken, Steven spoke.

“Dad. When you said we were both liars, what did you mean by that?” Steven asked Greg as he was in the middle of eating a breadstick. “Did something happen? What’s going on?”

Greg’s face turned to one of crestfallen worry. He thought for a moment, and then replied.

“Steven… A lot of secrets have been kept from you most of your life. First about your mom possibly killing a galactic tyrant. Then her actually being a pseudo-galactic tyrant who faked their death to no longer be a part of a war, which ultimately caused more harm than good.” Greg replied, looking more and more hurt. “If… if it was a few years ago, if you had been younger, I would have stuck to my guns and say that everything is okay. But I don’t think I can do that.”

“Dad… what happened when you were gone? What happened out there?” Steven asked, looking his father in the eyes. Greg could only see a son growing up a little too fast for his taste. And Steven could only see a father trying to do his best with what he could. He couldn’t lie to Steven anymore.

“For the record, I’m okay now. A couple of days ago, I wasn’t. I was far from okay.” Greg began to speak before taking a sip of water. He continued. “We were in the rustbelt area. West Keystone. We had a gig there, decent sized crowd, but that was besides the point. Just being back there, the place I grew up under the thumb of a pair of strict parents. Worse than Connie’s. so being there had sparked up a few bad memories. I just pushed on, and try to keep my cool. But after the set… not sure who said what, but an argument broke out between Lars and Shep. Something about someone being off key. It was a petty squabble that I tried to stop. Then out of nowhere, my chest had tightened up. I ended up going to the hospital.”

“Wait, What?!” Steven asked, looking so shocked, that his skin had flashed pink momentarily. Greg’s eyebrows shot up.

“But I’m okay now. For the most part. But the doctors said that it was a minor heart attack. It could have been worse, but a heart attack is a heart attack.” Greg spoke softly. “After that, I told S.S.L. that I couldn’t do it anymore. But by that time… they had broken up. It seemed like there had been tension going on for a while. Shep and Sadie continued the tour without me. Lars grabbed a taxi home. And I was the last to know. I was afraid to tell you about them breaking up.”

“Dad, I’m not going to lie, but S.S.L. seemed to have been trying too hard. They were good at first, but… I couldn’t keep listening to them.” Steven reasoned bluntly to Greg. “But I’m worried about you. A heart attack on the road?!”

Greg could see that Steven was scared.

“But I’m home now. No more touring. No more trying to relive those days of being a rock star. I’ve got more important things to take care of. Plus, I didn’t want to end up like Marty.” Greg groaned at the thought of his old manager. “Plus, Priya kind of chewed me out for not eating healthier and not being around as much. And she’s right. I need to be around more often. You’re growing up fast, and it seems like a few hereditary things might have passed over onto you. You need me, or… at least I hope you do.”

Steven’s eyes welled up as he tried his best to look normal.

“Dad… I’ll always need you. And I’m really glad you’ll be around more.” Steven said, wiping away the tears in his eyes. “But, what do you mean by hereditary?”

“Well… I don’t like to talk about ‘them’, but you really don’t know much about your grandparents.” Greg said, sounding guilty. “They… they weren’t the greatest parents. They constantly pushed me to do things I didn’t want to do. they forbade any music that wasn’t played by an orchestra. If my hair grew too long, they would just shave it off completely. They even pushed me into wrestling. And I don’t like either violence, or leotards. And that had both. But in all honesty, it was mostly my dad doing it. My mom, your grandmother, was more erratic.”

“’Erratic’?” Steven asked, feeling nervous.

“Yeah. She was pretty paranoid of the world. If she wasn’t in bed fighting depression, she would be fighting me for not wearing what she wanted me to wear, or not tying my shoe the right way, whatever the heck that means. She genuinely scared me.” Greg said, not holding anything back. “Priyanka says it might be a severe case of bipolar and anger management issues when it came to her. It made sense, but at the same time, it scared me.”

“So… you think I might be bipolar?” Steven asked softly.

“I’m not sure. And I hope not.” Greg said, sounding worried. “It might just be a gem issue. Garnet did say that you are the only hybrid they know of.”

“Hrmm… Garnet…” Steven mumbled.

“Things were bad out there, but now that I’m home, I’m going to do everything I can to help you out.” Greg said, looking determined at Steven. “But I’m going to take a guess and say that no one told you about what happened?”

“Wait, who else knew you were in the hospital?” Steven asked, sounding annoyed that he was the last to know about what had happened.

“Well… I honestly don’t think it matters now. But when I tried to call home, Garnet answered. I told her to tell you that I would be coming home earlier than anticipated.” Greg replied. “I was worried she would have been blunt and said that I was in the hospital and I’ll be going home soon.”

Steven shook his head and sighed loudly, feeling very annoyed.

“Well dad, you don’t have to worry about that, because she never told me.” Steven said, sounding frustrated. “Even when I got back from… yeah… something, she didn’t say a word about you being in the hospital. She did ask how the proposal went. I couldn’t even stand being in the same room. I just took whatever part of the cake that wasn’t smooshed to my bedroom, and kind of ate myself to sleep. Probably explained why I had a weird dream about Priyanka.

Greg shrugged after hearing about what happened yesterday night.

“It… probably was for the best. She always had a hard time communicating with people. She probably would have said something wrong.” Greg said bluntly.

“She… she wasn’t always like this though.” Steven said, thinking about the past. “She was always open to talk. She can be blunt sometimes, but now, it’s like she’s acting petty because I decided to see a therapist.”

“She might just be afraid of being replaced.” Greg said. “Kind of like how you were afraid of Connie going away, Garnet probably feels like she’s being forgotten too.”

As crazy as it sounded to Steven, his dad, yet again, had a point. Steven slumped even more in his seat.

“Well, after the proposal thing, I don’t think I want to talk to her for a while.” Steven said, shaking his head. “having Ruby and Sapphire give me bad advice like that nearly broke me. If it hadn’t been for Connie… I probably would have been shattered. Metaphorically speaking.”

“Wait, Ruby and Sapphire were the ones that gave you the advice? Not Garnet?” Greg asked.

“Well, yeah. I mean, does it really matter if they were unfused or not? They’re all the same people.” Steven attempted to reason with his father, but he could see it in Greg’s eyes that he was wrong.

“Steven…” Greg began to speak empathetically, but cautiously. “You know that two great beings become something that’s greater than the sum of the two? It goes opposite when it goes backwards. Garnet may be intelligent, and strong-willed, but when you separate those two, it’s only a wonder as to how they survived as long as that did before they fused.”

Steven chuckled softly at the idea of Sapphire and Ruby eating book paste on their first date. The humor of it was short-lived when Steven remembered something critical.

“But… I did want to talk to Garnet though. She knew I wanted to talk to her, but she still unfused anyway. Even with her future vision… she could have seen it coming, and should've warned me.” Steven said, feeling the annoyance coming back. “She could have made time to talk to me for 10 seconds. That’s all it would have taken.”

Greg no longer looked as though he had any sage advice. Instead, he looked slightly taken aback.

“Perhaps. She should have said something, unless all she could see were the futures all showed that you asked Connie to marry you and be turned down.” Greg said before eating the second to last spicy mozzarella sticks. “A multiverse where you were destined to ask Connie to marry you. A universal constant being a symbol of love and growth…”

Steven looked puzzled as Greg zoned out for a moment.

“Uh… dad?” Steven spoke, trying to garner his attention. Greg snapped out of it, and returned to the matter at hand.

“Yeah. Sorry.” Greg apologized. At that moment, two plates of well-seasoned fish resting on top of a small mound of noodles with creamy alfredo sauce, and broccoli florets. “Wow.”

“Yeah… you guys really… wow.” Steven said, trying his best not to drool. “This looks amazing.”

“Yeah. and… how much did this cost? I didn’t see the price tag.” Greg said, sounding worried.

“Oh, about nine bucks.” Kiki replied.

“…per breadstick?” Greg asked.

“No. just the food. Breadsticks were on the house though.” Kiki answered.

“Wow… sorry. This just looks really expensive.” Greg said, staring at the plate.

“Yeah. We’ve been slow this season, so we’re trying new things.” Kiki shrugged. “I kind of like the new menu, just afraid it might scare people off. Plus, we have to use up a lot of the food before they go bad. Thus the serving sizes. Enjoy!”

Steven and Greg stared at their plates. Greg began to slowly cut into the fish while Steven restrained from wanting to take multiple pictures. But couldn’t help but take at least one for Connie. But no matter how discrete he was in taking a picture, Greg could only look on in confusion as to why people would do that.

“It’s for Connie.” Steven blurted out. “Like… maybe a date night thing? We haven’t gone on a date in a while. And yeah, I’m not counting the picnic on the beach.”

Steven’s phone buzzed with a text message from Connie:

Strawbs: OoOoO! Bring some of that stuff home, Biscuit! And when did you decide to go to a fancy dinner WITHOUT ME?!

Bisky: It’s fish stew pizza. And yeah, I’ll try to bring some home for you.

Strawbs: I love you so much right now for trying to bring some home. I know you didn’t eat anything at all today, so I wouldn’t blame you if you ate it all. It looks so good!

Bisky: Nope. Starting diet tonight with this. Bringing some home would give me a reason to not eat it all.

Strawbs: Awww. Still, you need to take care of yourself. See you when you and Greg get home. Mom is working late with Peridot, so Dad is cooking tonight.

Bisky: Ooof. Can’t be that bad.

Strawbs: It’s not. Pre made mac and cheese. Oven style. But got to say, that fish looks goooooooood! See you when you get home. Have fun!

“Connie?” Greg asked bluntly.

“Connie. She likes the fish, so I’m probably going to be saving half of this. For her.” Steven replied, starting to twirl the pasta up with his fork. “And I think we’re probably going here for a date one night.”

“Yeah. And see? She still loves you.” Greg spoke. “Things might be awkward now, but they’ll go back to normal.”

“Perhaps.” Steven said before taking his first bite. He was taken aback by how good it all tasted. The mildly spicy fish, the broccoli. The sauce. It nearly seemed almost overwhelmingly rich. “And she did remind me that I haven’t eaten anything today, so… that could explain my anxiety. And depression. And my gem acting like a chunk of hot coal.”

“Your what?” Greg said, stopping himself before he took another bite of fish. Steven was at his wits end. He grew tired of saying he was fine when he was far from it.

“My… my gem. Every so often, it just starts to glow really bright. Then I start to feel like I’m having a bad stomach ache. And then it… it just hurts a lot.” Steven said, putting his fork down and lifting up his shirt, showing a slightly pulsating Gem. “It’s been doing THAT a lot. It may look like my gem is dying out, but in reality, it goes from normal, to brightly colored, and back to normal. It’s like I have a spontaneously combustible gem sitting in my gut.”

“And you told Priyanka?” Greg asked.

“I did more than tell her. I kind of had a mental breakdown after being told about the variety of medications I’m going to need to take.” Steven said, feeling the guilt rise within. “It was an anxiety attack that was so bad that the walls began moving in and out. And we were in the basement. Walls can’t bend if they’re in the basement. It was…”

“Terrifying and nerve-racking at the same time?” Greg asked.

“Yeah.” Steven said, staring down at his food, no longer able to look his dad in the eyes.

“Yeah… it wasn’t just downstairs either. After the heart checkup, I was getting dressed when the walls started moving.” Greg spoke, noticing Steven feeling terrible about the whole situation. “It’s not your fault though. There are things in life you can never really gain control of at first. It’ll take some time, but I promise I’ll be there for you. You won’t have to deal with this alone.”

“Thank.. thank you, dad.” Steven said as a single tear drop landed on his plate.

“Now that you have some food in you, how do you feel?” Greg asked, dabbing the sauce with a breadstick.

“Kind of better. More aware of the depression. But for the most part, I’m surviving.” Steven said.

“That’s pretty much the only thing you can do.” Greg said, pulling out a small, piece of paper from his pocket. “And about the medications, there doesn’t seem to be a ton here. Just 3 of them. 1 you take twice a day, 2 you take once a day, and one you have to take before midnight.”

“That… sounds like a lot of medications.” Steven said, looking at the prescription note with caution like it was a large spider. “I mean, all of those because of my gem acting up?”

“Well, no one is sure if it’s either your biology that’s affecting your gem, or if it’s the other way around. This is all new territory for the most part.” Greg replied. “It’s not helping that genetics could be playing a role by skipping a generation. But honestly, I think this is a gem problem. You’re going through the usual motions of things a teenager would, but you also have the power of an intergalactic super being.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Steven said, checking to see if he’s eaten half of his dinner. “If it was a gem issue, then there’s not a lot anyone can do. Pearl and Garnet wouldn’t help me. Amethyst, Lapis, and Peridot might try to help, but I don’t have a lot of hope of them succeeding. Obsidian and Spinel… I’m not sure about them either. But those are the only ones I think who can help me with the gem aspect.”

“What about Connie? Or me?” Greg asked, feeling dejected.

“Of course, you and Connie will help, as well as Priyanka. That’s already established. It’s just that you might only be able to help out with the human side. And as far as I know, you three might have your work cut out for you.” Steven said, placing a hand on his gem to see if it was still hot. “The things Priyanka and I have talked about in our sessions, I kind of realized that I… didn’t have the best of childhoods. Dangerous monsters everywhere, being constantly told that I need to act more mature like my mom, which for anyone who knew her knows that she wasn’t all that mature. I had to grow up fast and without any of the things most kids get to do; go to school, do homework, tests, hang out with kids and teens my age. Instead, I have people trying to kill me because of mom. And not just me, but they went after you as well, and Connie. And it doesn’t help that the only real thing I got from my mom was a tape telling me that I have to be a hero for everyone.”

“Steven…” Greg said, looking shocked at Steven, who was slumping more in his chair.

“But what good is a hero when there’s no one left to fight? No one left to save? No problems to be solved? Why would anyone want me around?” Steven looked up at his dad with tired and bloodshot eyes. “Why… be around?”

Greg stood up, walked around the table, sat right next to Steven, and put an arm around him, and gave him a one arm hug.

“There’s more to you than those powers Steven. you’ve gone through some huge changes, and more trauma than I can think of. I screwed up, Steven. You did deserve a normal life.” Greg said, sighing depressingly. “The moment your gem started to glow, the moment you showed that you had gem powers, Garnet told me that they would take care of you for now on. That it was too dangerous for a mere human to take care of you. I should have just put you in the van, and just drive as far as we could to get away from them. I would have figured something out. Just to get out of harm's way. I’m… I’m sorry Steven.”

“Wait… Garnet said that it would have been dangerous for you to take care of me?” Steven said softly.

“She… she did.” Greg spoke hesitantly. “She told me that I shouldn’t be around in case something dangerous would happen. But I didn’t do that. I wanted to be close by if anything were to happen. I even slept in the van in case I need to drive somewhere in an emergency. She didn’t like me doing that, but I didn’t care. They took too long to realize that you’re human too. Amethyst, for the most part, caught on quick though. She made for a great older sister. And she would tell me how things are going with you. I wanted you to be safe, and I wanted to be as close by as I could. I never thought they would put you in harm's way.”

“I… that’s a lot to process.” Steven said, slowly shaking his head. “I don’t think normalcy was ever in the cards for me. you did everything you could dad. You might not have given me the most ideal childhood, but you were always there whenever I needed you. Thank you for trying, dad.”

“No problem, son.” Greg replied.

Greg paid for the dinner while getting a to-go order of a couple of date cannoli’s while Steven put away all of the leftovers he promised to bring home to Connie. And as they left, walking down the dark street, Steven still wasn’t feeling too great about how things went today. Yesterday was a fiasco of misery and embarrassment. Today was no better. Greg can sense that feeling.

“I know it’s been a rough couple of days, Steven, but It can’t always be this bad. I mean, it could have been worse.” Greg attempted to reason.

“I…can see how it could. Connie could have never spoken to me again after me proposing to her. I’m kind of surprised she didn’t. Instead, she and Amethyst had to drag me to my doctor’s appointment. She stuck around, even when the panic attack happened.” Steven replied, slowly coming to a realization that things aren’t as bad as they thought. “I just wish that they hadn’t burned my bed though.”

“Who did what no-” Greg was about to ask as they turned the corner and saw the pile of ash and chunks of springs and wood. “W-why?”

“I’ve been having a tough time sleeping. Like, I would physically start getting heavy. And apparently I had a nightmare that caused one of the legs to break. In fact, when Connie was about to leave after I proposed to her, I kind of fell backward.” Steven spoke before pulling his dad away from the crater he nearly fell into. “And it made that.”

Greg looked at the crater in bewilderment. That bewilderment turned into shock as he looked around the crater to see a broken plate, a ripped up blanket, a few flower petals still remaining in the sand, and ultimately, Steven’s guitar, broken and splintered.

“Oh… Schtewball.” Greg spoke, shocked at what he was seeing. “Your guitar… you made this crater?!”

“Yeah.” Steven replied flatly. “As I said, my powers are out of control. Whenever I feel really depressed, the floor, or bed just starts to sink like I weighed a few tons. The anxiety attacks caused the walls to bend in and out. And if I’m annoyed, angry, or just rattled, I turn pink. And to top it off, whenever someone mentions ‘her’, my gem feels like it’s on fire. Everything sucks and I’m tired of feeling like this. I’m just tired of feeling like I’m being shredded up from the inside. Tired of feeling like I’m dying.”

“I’m… I’m sorry for being gone on that stupid tour. I should have stayed home. At least then I could of just told you to just tell Connie about your anxieties.” Greg said.

“It’s okay, dad. Honestly, all of this isn’t in comparison of what happened between me making that crater, and Peridot’s attempt at a Viking funeral for my bed, was worse.” Steven said bluntly, walking around the crater and heading up to the house to see that there was a light on downstairs. His stomach dropped. “And I have a feeling that it’s going to get worse.”

Greg followed Steven up to the house. Steven dragged his feet slowly up the hill, the stairs, and to the front door. Through the screen door, they both saw Garnet and Pearl sitting on the couch, looking sternly at the door. Steven took a deep breath in and out, and went through the door.

“Where were you?” Garnet asked sternly.

“Eating dinner with my dad. I left a note.” Steven said, pointing at the counter. Where there was a pad of paper with a note on it and a pen. The letter read;

Amethyst, Garnet, and Pearl,

Went out to dinner with dad. Be home later.

-Steven

“Hmm, so Amethyst was telling the truth. But both of their handwriting looks familiar, how was I to know.” Pearl said bluntly, shaking off any guilt that would have been placed on her.

“That’s no excuse though. Your dad coming home isn’t an excuse. You were out late while grounded adds on another week.” Garnet said, still in a stern voice.

“Huh, punish me like a kid, and treat me like a gem I never chose to be the rest of the time. Nothing new there.” Steven muttered while placing the leftovers in the fridge.

“What was that?!” Pearl spatted out, sounding angry.

“You know exactly what I said. You punish me after you gave me the worst advice imaginable. And you, Pearl. Aren’t you supposed to be out hanging with your friends?” Steven stated bluntly. “Ground me all you like. It doesn’t change a thing.”

“Two months.” Garnet spoke.

Steven could only shake his head, glowing pink in frustration. Turning the corner on the staircase, Steven stopped to overhear what was being said downstairs.

“What happened? Why did you ground him in the first place?” Greg asked.

“It’s none of your concern, Greg. Besides, he knows what he did.” Garnet replied.

“I’m gone for a couple of weeks and I come back to Steven having panic attacks and severe depression. Whatever is going on with him is causing him a lot of trauma that I’m beginning to think is coming from you two and how many times you put his life in danger. So yeah, Garnet, I do believe it is my concern.” Greg said flatly.

“He needs to control his powers better Greg! It’s like he’s not even trying to!” Pearl replied in a high voice.

“He’s not your problem, Greg.” Garnet spoke with the same tone of voice.

“He’s not a problem, Garnet! He’s a kid who’s dealing with way more than you can grasp.” Greg said in a low tone of voice. “And as per my doctor’s orders, I’m not going to deal with you two right now. And whatever Steven did to be grounded by you two is probably not even worth getting in a fight over. I’m his parent, and I’m saying that he’s not grounded.”

Steven felt nothing but gratefulness and relief that his dad was still standing up for him. He didn’t feel so alone now.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah... so... things are kind of on the rocks right now between Steven and 2/3rds of the Crystal Gems. I mean, if you were 16-17, and someone you looked up to gave you some REALLY bad advice, you would hold a grudge. It won't be forever, but, trust me, it seems to be more realistic than the show. Plus, this time, The van doesn't get totaled, and Greg still gets to be the cool and supporting dad.
> 
> Next time: Steven confesses to his friends about what had happened on the beach a few nights ago, only for Connie to basically correct some mistakes in Steven's story.


End file.
